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Quality, Management and Leadership Courses

Look at our current schedule (mailed and on-line) to find out which courses from the list above are currently offered.  To register, visit in person the Enka Campus (Haynes Building) or the Asheville Campus (Pines Building), or mail in your registration using the form in the mailed schedule, or register on-line at the A-B Tech Continuing Education Website.  For additional course information and to arrange for these courses on site, or for a customized version of these courses on site, contact Brian Vaughan, 828.254.1921 x5822.

Current Course Offerings

APICS Certified Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) Prep Courses

There are 5 courses in this series.  Each course prepares the participant to take one of the five CPIM exams.  Courses are 24-30 hours and are conducted once a week, for 3 hours in the evening, for 8-10 weeks.  The course are offered in sequence and take approximately 15 months to complete a full cycle.  See the current schedule of which course is being offered.

Essential Supervisor Skills

This 12-hour course focuses on three critical skill areas that most supervisors require to be effective in their jobs: interviewing skills, conducting effective performance reviews, and administering discipline. Interviewing skills, used for both prospective and current employees, are needed only occasionally, but are critically important in bringing the right people together with the right position. Performance reviews, effectively conducted, form the foundation for managing in the workplace and for mentoring people to take on greater responsibility. Discipline can be an effective tool for correcting workplace behavior and moving people toward greater achievement, or it can be a quagmire of bitter feelings and possible litigation. This course helps participants understand how to excel in each of these areas while avoiding the pitfalls.

ISO 9001:2000 Internal Quality Auditing

This course will provide participants with an excellent understanding of how to audit to the new ISO 9001:2000 international quality standard and is designed for quality professionals and other personnel responsible for implementing, maintaining, and/or participating in an ISO9001:2000 compliant internal audit system. Using a combination of lecture and hands-on classroom exercises, participants will gain a thorough working knowledge of the auditing requirements for the new standard, how auditing differs from the previous 1994 version, and in general, what companies need to do to implement an effective ISO9001:2000 audit system. The instructor is an ASQ CQE, CQM and CQA; and is an ASQ/Plexus certified ISO9001:2000 trainer/coach and a RAB certified ISO9001:2000 QMS auditor. All materials are provided.

ISO 9001:2000 Understanding the International Quality Standard

This course will provide participants with an excellent understanding the new ISO 9001:2000 international quality standard and is designed for quality professionals and other management personnel responsible for implementing and/or maintaining an ISO9001:2000 compliant Quality Management System. Using a combination of lecture and hands-on classroom exercises, participants will gain a thorough working knowledge of the new standard, how it differs from the previous 1994 version, and in general, what companies need to do to register to the new standard or upgrade their current registrations to the new standard. The instructor is an ASQ CQE, CQMgr and CQA; and is an ASQ/Plexus certified ISO9001:2000 trainer/coach and a RAB certified ISO9001:2000 QMS auditor.  All materials are provided.

Lean 100

This is a hands-on, one-day workshop to teach the basic principles of Lean Production. Participants will learn basic concepts and then apply them in an interactive factory simulation to experience how Lean Production provides considerable advantages over the more traditional "batch and queue" manufacturing. All materials for the class are provided.

Lean Manufacturing (35-hour course)

This is an extensive course based on the Eaton University Lean Manufacturing curriculum.  The course is spread out over 13 weeks with one four-hour session being presented each week. The course covers Value Stream Mapping (Current State and Future State), Lean Improvement Tools, Continuous Flow Manufacturing and Standard Work Flow, Pull Systems, 5S, Setup Reduction, Error Proofing, Total Productive Maintenance, and Implementation Preparation/Team Building.  Factory simulations and case studies are used throughout the course work to amplify key lessons and provide hands-on application examples.

Six Sigma Green Belt Certification

This is a very rigorous 70-hour coverage of the Green Belt Body of Knowledge in the Six Sigma discipline.  Participants should have a good grasp of basic math concepts and principles through the high school graduate level and have good problem-solving skills.   Participants should also have a working knowledge of the Minitab Statistical Analysis Software since this is used extensively throughout the course to analyze data generated during in-class six sigma projects.  Knowledge transfer is accomplished through a combination of lecture, guided discussion, exercises built around 2 extensive in-class projects, a formal case study showing the complete DMAIC model, and 13 competency assessments.  The intent of the course is to prepare Green Belts to work effectively in a team environment on Black Belt projects and to lead Green Belt-level projects.

Statistical Process Control (Basic)

This course introduces students to the basic concepts of SPC, chart construction and basic chart interpretation. The class first introduces the concept of process variation, its causes and how understanding variation leads to control. Using this foundation and extensive hands-on exercises, participants will generate data using product samples and then build and analyze control charts based on this data. The class is appropriate for individuals who have no prior experience building or using control charts. Textbook information will be announced later.